Women Who Make The First Move Are More Likely To Find Love: Scientists

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Women Who Make The First Move Are More Likely To Find Love: Scientists

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Let's be frank: there's nothing easy about dating in the 21st century.

With an influx of technology simplifying our lives with the latest gadgets and gizmos, you'd think there would be a solution to those lacking in love.

Well, there technically are, and they're called dating apps, but they deliver an entirely new set of questions and dilemmas, including: who makes the first move?

Traditionally, men would make the first move by asking their prospective partner out on a date to get to know them and see if they "click."

But now, everything is different. When you see a profile of someone you like online, you have to take the risk of messaging first. This can be nerve-racking, because without seeing their body language, there's no immediate indication on what they think of you.

While some would prefer to stick to the long-established protocol of a man making the first move, a significant portion of women have sent a message first, leading to surprising results.

Online dating app The League conducted a study, which surveyed 100 couples who have been together for a year or more, to uncover the secret to a long-lasting relationship.

The invite-only app, which involves an exclusive application process, discovered one out of three successful heterosexual couples began after the woman made the first move.  

Dating expert Madeleine concurs with these findings, adding that an increasing number of women are making the first move in real life scenarios as well, whether they're conscious to their own actions or not.

"Men rarely pursue women if they don't get some signal of interest, whether a smile, nod, flicking of hair," she told The Independent.

"It seems to be an innate behavior in our DNA. It occurs across most societies. So it may not be so different in an online context," she added.

Along with determining a woman can significantly boost their chances of finding a partner by simply messaging a potential suitor first, the data also showed that all of the successful couples had rated high in the attendance and initiation categories, and low in flakiness.

"That makes sense," Mason explained. "Someone who is conscientious is more likely to get results. The more stable and reliable one is, the more likely one is seen as marriage material."

While survey revealed the couples exchanged an average of 34 messages between each other before they swapped numbers, Mason said the number doesn't guarantee a rewarding relationship.

She explained that while statistics can provide helpful insights on finding a partner, they shouldn't be the standards for everyone.

"Data helps to reflect on how one is in relation to that and whether there may be things you can change (i.e flakiness), but they are just numbers and do not apply to everyone so need to be taken with a certain pinch of salt," Mason said.

Do you like making the first move or do you prefer for someone else to do it?

[H/T: The Independent]

Maya has been working at Shared for a year. She just begrudgingly spent $200 on a gym membership. Contact her at maya@shared.com